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A Cameo

By Algernon Charles Swinburne

Topics: classic

There was a graven image of Desire     Painted with red blood on a ground of gold     Passing between the young men and the old,     And by him Pain, whose body shone like fire,     And Pleasure with gaunt hands that grasped their hire.     Of his left wrist, with fingers clenched and cold,     The insatiable Satiety kept hold,     Walking with feet unshod that pashed the mire.     The senses and the sorrows and the sins,     And the strange loves that suck the breasts of Hate     Till lips and teeth bite in their sharp indenture,     Followed like beasts with flap of wings and fins.     Death stood aloof behind a gaping grate,     Upon whose lock was written Peradventure.

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"There was a graven image of Desire..."

Exploring the themes of classic, Algernon Charles Swinburne delivers a powerful performance in "A Cameo"... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Algernon Charles Swinburne

"There was a graven image of Desire..." by Algernon Charles Swinburne

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Algernon Charles Swinburne

About Algernon Charles Swinburne

Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909) was an English poet known for metrical innovation and bold themes. His "Atalanta in Calydon" and "Poems and Ballads" challenged Victorian conventions with their musical intensity and controversial subject matter.

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